Matthew Lewis wins!!!!

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BY: Matthew Lewis

Published: 19th April, 2010

It wasn't me though... but my name sake in the Youth category at the latest round of the Gorrick Spring Series. Well done Matthew!
 
The course was a cracker and the weather was fantastic. Strange to think that 2 weeks a go in Wales you'd find yourself riding through snow, and now at the Gorrick the trails were lovely and dusty. I'm not even going to bother describing the course since to those of you that have ridden them, you know that they are laden with heavy doses of single track and short, steep loose climbs. The courses are tricky especially at dust speed but not half as tricky as fixing your number board to big carbon bars with those white things they give you. They're the same things that your mum used to use to bag your sandwiches up for your first day at primary school. I need a stash of zip ties.
 
The other 29ers were all racing up at the 1st round of the Midlands and despite texts the night before giving me the low down on the course at Hanchurch, I couldn't make the later kick-off so I travelled down the M4 to a dusty Swinley.
 
After my performance at the 1st round of the BMBS I fought the temptation of racing in normal old lowly masters and opted for the Super masters! I love the name of the category: Supermasters. It makes you sound like a racing God.
 
At 9.45am we were off and as soon as the gun went off I found myself in the lead group that contained Matt Stevens of Colnago, Steven James of Moda, Steve Webb of Singular and Ian Leitch of Independent Fabrication. I've got to stop doing this but I got over excited and pushed myself to the front and led for 400 metres!!! At the half-way point of the 1st lap they'd all over taken me (same old story- I beat you to that Martyn) and they left me in 5th and that is pretty much it!  I found myself in a right old racing No-man's land. I knew that behind me was Nick Onslow of Pedalon and a number of Gorrick and National regulars so I knew that I couldn't ease up. I just kept it steady and pushed on!
 
It wasn't until the 4th and final lap that Paul Hopkins (Merida UK) the leader and winner of the Super vets had caught me up and zoomed by and by this late stage I was confident that I could hold on to 5th.
 
At the front of the Super Masters Ian and Stephen had been duelling it out with Ian just getting the better of Stephen and taking the win. Matt Stevens finished in 3rd and Steve Webb in 4th. I now propose that Ian Leitch is banned from xc racing. Bloody show off beating everybody at 24 hr racing and then giving us a kicking in the xc! He did it on a 29er though.
 
Thanks to Martyn and the sponsors, Gary Fisher, Accelerade and Exposure lights.
 
Matt Lewis
Xracer.com29er